Zardari, Tolerance, and Taseer's Murder

When a member of Salmaan Taseer’s personal security team pumped twenty-seven bullets into the Punjab Governor as he visited an Islamabad market, people wondered whether the scales had tipped against the voices of tolerance in favor of violent extremism. Thousands marched at the funeral. But clerics praised the murder, many celebrated the assassin as a hero, and the main government opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif – whom former President Pervez Musharraf branded a “closet Taliban” — ducked the final rites. Nawaz’s behavior surprised no one. He had flatly rejected Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s suggestion that they include amending the blasphemy laws in the 2006 Charter for Democracy forged in a coalition to oust Musharraf.

Assassination victim Salmaan Taseer

Constable Mumtaz Qadri murdered the Governor after declaring a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, innocent of blasphemy, for which she had been condemned to death, and demanding clemency. Her crime? Under Pakistan law, one who commits blasphemy against the Prophet Mohammed can be sentenced to death. Blasphemy is a vague term. It may include simply throwing away a Koran. Bibi’s transgression lay in offering two Muslim women a glass of water, which they refused. A village mullah denounced Bibi for blasphemy. Soon enough she found herself in the dock, tried, and sentenced.

The event has reverberated in Pakistan and internationally. Knowing the government lacks the votes in the National Assembly to change the law, Prime Minister Yousef Gillani won’t try to. Instead he says that laws must not be used to abuse minorities and expressed support for Taseer by attending the funeral. President Asif Ali Zardari — Taseer’s close friend and husband of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, herself assassinated in 2007 — did not attend. What was going on and what does it mean?

Conventional wisdom holds that Zardari feared that his government could collapse should he speak out. While Zardari has low poll ratings, don’t expect his government to fall. Many assume Nawaz Sharif would take his place. But Nawaz has a tenuous relationship with the military. He worries whether it might block his accession, although the already burdened military has no desire to saddle itself with running the government. Zardari’s real motive was more practical and altruistic. He recognized that in his volatile political environment, attending Taseer’s funeral could lead to Alia Bibi’s extra-judicial murder.

Instead, the Bhutto family turned to its new generation to speak for the family and their political party. It was a subtle tactic that offered a clear message. A graduate of Oxford now studying in London to become a barrister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is the Chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Speaking at the Pakistan High Commission in London, he issued a commanding, eloquent statement that powerfully denounced the murder, and with the same intensity that epitomized his mother, Benazir Bhutto — herself assassinated in 2007 — embraced religious tolerance and democratic values.

For Americans who wonder whether Islam is a sinister force that aims to subvert civilization and embraces bloodshed, Bilawal’s words are a sober reminder that most Muslims abhor violence. He declared: “At a time when evil masquerades as people of faith terrorizing all those who oppose or disagree with them, Shaheed Salmaan Tasser fought back…. His murder is more than a political assassination… It is a message to all of us who believe in the peaceful teachings of our beloved prophet. It is a message to all of us who believe in democracy, justice, and humanity, that the dark forces of violent extremism, intolerance, and bigotry are intent on devouring our country and our faith.” But, Bilawal made clear, “we refuse to back down.” Those “who use religion as a tool to justify their violence, suicide, and mass murder” believe “erroneously that their crimes will take them to heaven. Allah has promised them hell and we shall send them there.”

He told the extremists: “You are suppressors of religious freedom, your façade shall be exposed, you have committed grave crimes against Islam, and you shall be defeated. To the Christian and other minority communities in Pakistan, we will defend you.” Pointing out that “democracy is and always will be the best revenge,” he pledged to be a voice for democratic values and tolerance.

Like her husband, Benazir inspired controversy. She aroused fervent admirers and hostile skeptics. Her historical significance, and perhaps the deepest tragedy for her country and the international community, lay in the loss of her passionate voice against violent extremism and for tolerance. Bilawal has impressively emerged for his generation, building upon that legacy.

Bilawal offers a powerful example that Pakistan has leaders who won’t give up and won’t cave in. His courage shows that compelling Muslim voices against violent extremism exist and are making their presence felt. In our own country, his words also remind us that the overwhelming majority of American Muslims oppose violent extremism. Everyone would be well served should these voices grow more prominent and visible in denouncing violent extremism. Equally, those quick to denounce Islam should remember that their own shrill criticism may engender precisely the radicalization against which their voices are raised.

Extremist violence has alienated most Pakistanis. As the Quilliam Foundation’s Maajid Nawaz observes, one must distinguish between violent Islamists who would impose their interpretation of Islam upon Pakistan, and extremists who sanction the use of violence against anyone they consider blasphemous. Zardari and Gillani have limited power to deal with the latter. But using their bully pulpits as President and Prime Minister, they could rally the public against violent Islamists. In tandem with the military – which behind-the-scenes holds the real power – the government must challenge the violent Islamists more directly. Still, give Zardari credit. Ceding the spotlight to his son enabled the emergence of a fresh voice of hope and a message to violent Islamists that formidable opponents will block their way ahead. Obviously, to really make a difference, Bilawal must return to Pakistan and he will. He offers the kind of voice Pakistan’s leadership needs.